Month: January 2018

All bring different gifts to the party, and no two are alike in their interests, their physical and mental development, their aptitude and abilities.

Our state pounds the same square peg into a round hole for every child with the exception of special education mandates, a relatively small amount of money for “at-risk” students and an even smaller amount for English-language learners.

During his regular update on state legislation at the Richmond School Board’s Jan. 22 meeting, Superintendent Brian Walmsley informed members of the 400-plus-page report that has drawn national attention as the most comprehensive study of public schools to date.

Walmsley said the biggest news from a public school perspective is a bipartisan report that came out regarding school funding from the Michigan School Finance Research Collaborative. A committee comprising Republicans, Democrats, independents and business people sat down to talk about what it costs to educate a child.

All Districts, MI — What’s the actual annual baseline cost of educating a student to proficiency in Michigan? At minimum, nearly $2,000 more than we’re spending now, according to a newly released study that exhaustively examines school funding in Michigan.

The current state funding formula is not providing nearly enough for students to meet state education standards, say leaders of the School Finance Research Collaborative, a statewide group that worked to determine the true cost of educating children as a way to move toward school funding reform.

Over the past year, the School Finance Research Collaborative — a group made up of local educational professionals and business leaders to re-examine the state’s approach to funding schools — has been researching the answer to that question.

The collaborative has been overseeing a school adequacy study that examined how much funding schools need and where the funding should be allocated.

Utica Community Schools officials are commenting on a recently released statewide school funding study that the UCS Board of Education supported earlier this month.

The statewide school finance study’s details were announced in a 358-page report Jan. 17. The study was done by a bipartisan expert panel called the School Finance Research Collaborative, which was established in 2016.

(MPRN-Lansing) A new report says it costs at least $9,600 to properly educate a student in Michigan’s public schools.

The exact number is $9,550. The state’s current minimum is almost $2,000 less than that. The report also puts numbers to the costs of transportation, special education, and educating students in small, rural districts.

LANSING, MI (AP)– A new study says the base cost to educate a regular K-12 student in Michigan is $9,590.

That figure doesn’t include transportation, food or capital costs.

The report released Wednesday was funded by foundations and school groups. It says traditional and charter public schools should be funded equally, and transportation costs should be funded at $973 per rider.

A new school finance study shows Michigan is underfunding its schools, and additional dollars should be invested in students with the greatest needs, including those who are low-income, have a limited grasp of English or require special education.

The study was released Wednesday by the School Finance Research Collaborative, an organization representing educators, foundations and members of the business community.